Session 7: The Men of Al-A'raf.

Part 1 of 7. About this session.

The previous passage ended with the people of Paradise praising Allah, and a call to them: this is Paradise. Here the calling goes on, across a partition. The people of Paradise ask the people of the Fire: “Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?” They say yes.

On the heights of the partition are men who know both groups by their marks. They greet the people of Paradise with salam. They have not entered it yet, but they hope to. The surah takes its name from this place, al-Araf. The scholars do not agree on who these men are, and we will look at their views together.

Then the men on the heights speak to men they know in the Fire: your numbers and your pride did not help you. The people of the Fire ask for a little water and are told it is forbidden to them. The passage ends with those who took their religion as play: “So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs…” The commentators explain what that forgetting means.

Part 2 of 7. The passage, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 44.

And the companions of Paradise will call out to the companions of the Fire, "We have already found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?" They will say, "Yes." Then an announcer will announce among them, "The curse of Allah shall be upon the wrongdoers."

Ayah 45.

Who averted [people] from the way of Allah and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers.

Ayah 46.

And between them will be a partition, and on [its] elevations are men who recognize all by their mark. And they call out to the companions of Paradise, "Peace be upon you." They have not [yet] entered it, but they long intensely.

Ayah 47.

And when their eyes are turned toward the companions of the Fire, they say, "Our Lord, do not place us with the wrongdoing people."

Ayah 48.

And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering and [the fact] that you were arrogant."

Ayah 49.

[Allah will say], "Are these the ones whom you [inhabitants of Hell] swore that Allah would never offer them mercy? Enter Paradise, [O People of the Elevations]. No fear will there be concerning you, nor will you grieve."

Ayah 50.

And the companions of the Fire will call to the companions of Paradise, "Pour upon us some water or from whatever Allah has provided you." They will say, "Indeed, Allah has forbidden them both to the disbelievers."

Ayah 51.

Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded." So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses.

Part 3 of 7. The explanation, from the classical tafsir.

What the classical commentators say about these eight ayat. Take this one if you want to go deeper.

The passage is a set of calls: the people of Paradise to the people of the Fire (44 to 45), the men on the heights to both (46 to 49), and the people of the Fire for water (50 to 51). The units follow Ibn Kathir’s four comments.

Reading guide: source summaries below are paraphrases, not direct quotations. Reflections and facilitator notes are editorial teaching suggestions. The Verses and audio page uses Saheeh International, whose bracketed words are the translators’ own; English quoted from tafsir editions follows those editions.

Ayat 44 to 45 — The question across the partition.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 44: And the companions of Paradise will call out to the companions of the Fire, "We have already found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised to be true?" They will say, "Yes." Then an announcer will announce among them, "The curse of Allah shall be upon the wrongdoers."

Ayah 45: Who averted [people] from the way of Allah and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers.

The people of Paradise ask the people of the Fire whether they found their Lord’s promise true, and they say yes. A caller announces Allah’s curse on the wrongdoers: those who barred people from Allah’s way, wanted it crooked, and denied the Hereafter.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir says the people of the Fire will be “addressed, chastised and admonished” when they take their places. He compares Surah As-Saffat, ayat 55 to 57, where a believer sees his old companion in the Fire, and the Prophet’s sallallahu alayhi wa sallam words at the well of Badr, which ask the same question (a version is optional on the hadith page). On ayah 45: they kept people from Allah’s path, tried to make it look crooked, and did not believe in the meeting with Allah, so they feared no reckoning.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn says the people of Paradise call “either in affirmation or in reprimand”, and the crier proclaims “between both parties making them hear”.

Optional source note — al-Tabari and al-Qurtubi on the call.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says the people of Paradise call out after they have entered it. They found true what their Lord promised them in the world on the tongues of His messengers, and they ask whether the people of the Fire found true the punishment they were promised. He does not say who the caller is. On ayah 45 he says the wrongdoers tried to change Allah’s religion from the straightness He gave it. Iwaj, with an i, is a bend in a religion or a road; awaj, with an a, is for something crooked in a body, like a leg.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi calls it a question of rebuke and reproach. Of the four, he is the only one who names the caller: one of the angels. He also notes that naam, “yes”, answers a question asked in the positive, as here, while bala answers one asked in the negative, as in ayah 172: “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes.”

Reflection: Both groups were given a promise, and on that Day both find it true. The people of Paradise had believed it before they saw it.

Ayat 46 to 47 — The men on the heights.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 46: And between them will be a partition, and on [its] elevations are men who recognize all by their mark. And they call out to the companions of Paradise, "Peace be upon you." They have not [yet] entered it, but they long intensely.

Ayah 47: And when their eyes are turned toward the companions of the Fire, they say, "Our Lord, do not place us with the wrongdoing people."

On the heights of the partition are men who know both groups by their marks. They greet the people of Paradise, hope to enter, and ask Allah not to place them with the wrongdoers.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir says the partition is a barrier that keeps the people of the Fire from Paradise. Through al-Tabari he gives it as the wall of Surah Al-Hadid, ayah 13: “And a wall will be placed between them with a door, its interior containing mercy, but on the outside of it is torment” (Surah Al-Hadid, ayah 13, Saheeh International). Araf is the plural of urf, any raised piece of ground, and al-Suddi says the place is named for its people, who recognise, yarifun, everyone.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Who the men are is where the commentators differ. Al-Tabari and al-Qurtubi report these views, among others:

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Neither of them settles it. Al-Tabari says the right thing to say is what Allah said, men who know each group by its mark, because there is no report from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam about them with a sound chain and no agreed interpretation. Al-Qurtubi gives ten views, then quotes Ibn Atiyya: all the ayah itself requires is men from the people of Paradise whose entry is delayed. Al-Qurtubi adds that this stops short of naming them, because the reports are confused.

Source summary: On their hope, Ibn Kathir reports al-Hasan: “By Allah! Allah did not put this hope in their hearts, except for an honor that He intends to bestow on them.” On ayah 47 he reports Ibn Abbas: they make this du'a when they see and recognise the people of the Fire.

Optional source note — the full lists, and the Companions’ words.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari groups the views into four: equal deeds; men killed in Allah’s way who had gone out against their fathers’ wishes (Shurahbil ibn Sad); righteous scholars (Mujahid); and angels (Abu Mijlaz). Al-Qurtubi’s longer list adds, among others, people with small sins that were not wiped out in this world, held back so that the distress of waiting answers for them.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari records Hudhayfa’s words on them: while they are there, your Lord looks at them and says, go and enter Paradise, for I have forgiven you. Al-Hakim records the same from Hudhayfa. Al-Tabari also records Ibn Abbas saying that they will enter it, in sha Allah. These are the Companions’ words in the tafsir, not narrations from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: The marks, says al-Tabari, are white faces for the people of Paradise and black faces for the people of the Fire. He takes sima from the root w-s-m, a mark; the Quranic Arabic Corpus lists it under s-w-m.

Optional source note — whose hope, and the du'a in humility.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Most of the early commentators al-Tabari reports read the end of ayah 46, not yet entered and hoping, as about the men on the heights: al-Suddi, al-Hasan, Qatada, Ikrima and Ata’. Abu Mijlaz reads it as about the people of Paradise, greeted before they go in. Al-Qurtubi adds al-Nahhas’s point that yatmaun can also mean “they know” they will enter.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: On ayah 47, al-Qurtubi says they ask not to be placed with the wrongdoers in humility, as believers ask, “Our Lord, perfect for us our light” (Surah At-Tahrim, ayah 8). He also says the word “men” in ayah 46 comes as praise, as in Surah An-Nur, ayah 37.

Reflection: The men on the heights are not yet where they hope to be. What they do while they wait is greet others with peace and ask Allah to keep them from the wrongdoers.

Ayat 48 to 49 — “Are these the ones…?”.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 48: And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering and [the fact] that you were arrogant."

Ayah 49: [Allah will say], "Are these the ones whom you [inhabitants of Hell] swore that Allah would never offer them mercy? Enter Paradise, [O People of the Elevations]. No fear will there be concerning you, nor will you grieve."

The men on the heights tell men they know in the Fire that their gathering and their arrogance did not help them. Then comes a question about people those men had looked down on, and the words “Enter Paradise.”

Source summary: Ibn Kathir reads “your gathering” as “your great numbers”: your numbers and wealth did not save you from Allah’s punishment. He reports from Ibn Abbas that “Are these the ones…” refers to the people of al-Araf, who will be told, when Allah decrees, to enter Paradise.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn has the men on the heights speaking, pointing to “those formerly oppressed Muslims”.

Optional source note — who speaks in ayah 49.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: The commentators read ayah 49 in four ways. Allah speaks to the people of the Fire, and “these” are the people of al-Araf, whom al-Suddi calls the weak (Ibn Abbas, through several chains; al-Tabari sets out the ayah on this reading). The men on the heights speak, pointing to poor believers such as Bilal, Salman and Khabbab (al-Qurtubi, from al-Hasan). The angels speak to the people of the Fire about the believers (Abu Mijlaz). Or, in a view al-Qurtubi records, the angels in charge of the men on the heights tell them, “Enter Paradise.” Saheeh International’s brackets follow the first.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi links this to the views on ayah 46. If the men on the heights are people with sins, their words end at “your arrogance”, and the rest is Allah speaking to the people of the Fire. If the whole ayah is theirs, they would be angels or prophets, since they are telling of Allah’s decision. On ayah 48, al-Tabari reports al-Suddi and Ibn Zayd: the men in the Fire were the tyrants and great ones of this world.

Reflection: Ayah 48 names two things that did not help: the crowd around them, and their pride.

Ayat 50 to 51 — Water refused, and a forgetting.

First, the ayat again, in Saheeh International.

Ayah 50: And the companions of the Fire will call to the companions of Paradise, "Pour upon us some water or from whatever Allah has provided you." They will say, "Indeed, Allah has forbidden them both to the disbelievers."

Ayah 51: Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded." So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses.

The people of the Fire ask for water or some of the provision of Paradise, and are refused. Those who took their religion as play are left that Day, as they left the meeting of this Day.

Source summary: Ibn Kathir reports Said ibn Jubayr: one of them will call his father or brother, “I have been burned, so pour some water on me.” On ayah 51 he says that Allah “will treat them as if He has forgotten them. Certainly, nothing escapes Allah’s perfect watch and He never forgets anything,” and he brings Surah Ta-Ha, ayah 52: “My Lord neither errs nor forgets.” He forgets them that Day as a just recompense, as in Surah At-Tawbah, ayah 67, Surah Ta-Ha, ayah 126 and Surah Al-Jathiyah, ayah 34. He cites a version of the second core narration on the hadith page.

Source summary: Al-Jalalayn explains “today We have forgotten them” as “We have left them in the Fire”.

Optional source note — al-Tabari and al-Qurtubi on water and forgetting.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Tabari says their thirst and hunger come as a punishment for leaving Allah’s obedience and for not paying what was due from their wealth to the poor: zakat and charity. On ayah 51 he says the people of Paradise are still speaking until “deluded”, and then Allah speaks: today We leave them in the punishment, hungry and thirsty, as they left working for the meeting of this Day. In the reports he gives, Mujahid and Ibn Abbas also explain it as leaving them.

Paraphrase from the Arabic: Al-Qurtubi says the ayah shows that giving water is among the best of deeds, and that ifada, “pour”, is giving generously. He also reads the forgetting as leaving them in the Fire.

Reflection: The first thing asked for in ayah 50 is water, one of the simplest gifts there is. Here it is still ours to give.

Part 4 of 7. Hadith connected to the passage.

Narrations that sit alongside this passage.

Reading guide: the English passages below are plain-language summaries of narrations reported from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, written for this session. They are not direct quotations and not translations. The Arabic is quoted from the Sunnah.com page named beneath each one, and the full source entry with its chain is one click away. Connections to the verses are editorial.

Core reading: The weak whose oath Allah fulfils.

Summary: Shall I tell you about the people of Paradise? Every weak person whom others look down on. If he swears by Allah, Allah fulfils his oath. Shall I tell you about the people of the Fire? Every harsh, hoarding and arrogant person.

Narrated by Haritha ibn Wahb al-Khuzai.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6071, Book 78, Hadith 101, also Sahih Muslim 2853a.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: In ayah 49 the arrogant swore that Allah would never reach certain people with mercy. Here the oath Allah keeps belongs to the weak person. The Arabic uses ayah 49’s verb for swearing, and its word for arrogant shares a root with ayah 48’s.

Core reading: Did you think you would meet Me?

Summary: On the Day of Resurrection a servant is brought, and Allah says to him: Did I not give you hearing and sight, wealth and children? Did I not put cattle and crops at your service, and leave you to lead and take your share? Did you think you would meet Me on this Day of yours? He says: No. Allah says: Today I forget you, as you forgot Me.

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah and Abu Said.

Jami at-Tirmidhi 2428, Book 37, Hadith 14, Grade: Sahih (Darussalam, as listed on Sunnah.com), also in Sahih Muslim, longer:

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: The words of ayah 51, “We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs”, with the question that comes before them. Ibn Kathir brings Sahih Muslim's version at the ayah. At-Tirmidhi explains the forgetting as: I leave you in the punishment, and says some scholars read the ayah the same way, as all four commentators do.

Optional reading: At the well of Badr.

Summary: On the day of Badr, the bodies of twenty-four of the leaders of Quraysh were thrown into one of the wells of Badr. On the third day the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went and stood at its edge, and called them by their names and their fathers’ names: Would it please you that you had obeyed Allah and His Messenger? We have found what our Lord promised us to be true. Have you found what your Lord promised to be true? The narration goes on with Umar’s question and the Prophet’s answer; this summary stops at the question.

Narrated by Abu Talha.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3976, Book 64, Hadith 29, a version also in Sahih Muslim 2874.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asks the question of ayah 44 in the same Arabic words as the ayah. Ibn Kathir brings this event at the ayah.

Optional reading: Which charity is best? Water.

Summary: Sad ibn Ubadah said: Messenger of Allah, Umm Sad has died. Which charity is best? He said: Water. So Sad dug a well and said: This is for Umm Sad.

Narrated by Sad ibn Ubadah.

Sunan Abi Dawud 1681, Book 9, Hadith 126, Grade: Hasan (Al-Albani, as listed on Sunnah.com).

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: Umm Sad was Sad’s mother. Al-Qurtubi brings this narration at ayah 50, where the people of the Fire ask for water, as his evidence that giving water is among the best of deeds.

Optional reading: Thinking well of Allah.

Summary: Three days before he died, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: None of you should die except while thinking well of Allah.

Narrated by Jabir.

Sahih Muslim 2877a, Book 53, Hadith 98.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: Ayah 46 ends with men who have not entered Paradise yet and still hope. This narration is about hope in Allah. None of the commentators brings it at the ayah; the link is ours.

Part 5 of 7. Arabic words in the passage.

Four words: the one who announces, the heights the surah is named after, the hope of the men there, and “pour”, the word the people of the Fire use to ask for water. One you know from the masjid: muazin.

Muadhdhinun, ayah 44.

Saheeh International: “an announcer” — Then an announcer will announce among them.

Meaning in context: The one who announces out loud. Al-Jalalayn says he proclaims “between both parties making them hear”. What he announces is Allah's curse on the wrongdoers. Of the four commentators, only al-Qurtubi says who he is: one of the angels. In Indonesian the word is muazin, the one who calls the azan.

Root: hamza-dh-n. Its first picture is the ear. Lane begins with “He [gave ear or] listened to it”. For the verb in this ayah Lane gives “he proclaimed, or made proclamation”, the same as nada, to call.

For reflection: Five times a day a muazin calls us, while the call can still be answered. Which prayer do you find hardest to answer on time?

In this surah: The word only here. The root comes again at ayah 58, 123, 167, 179 and 195; at ayah 179 and ayah 195 it is adhan, ears.

Grammar: Active participle, form II — nominative masculine, indefinite. The twenty-second word of ayah 44. The word before it, fa-adhdhana, is the verb from the same root, so the Arabic says, word for word, announced an announcer.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 102 times in nine derived forms. Muadhdhin occurs only twice, here and in the story of Yusuf:The same form II verb is Allah's command to Ibrahim:

Surah Yusuf, ayah 70 — “Then an announcer called out”.

Surah Al-Hajj, ayah 27 — “And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]”.

From the tafsir: Al-Jalalayn on the crier, and al-Qurtubi on who he is.

Al-arafi with yarifuna, ayah 46.

Saheeh International: “[its] elevations” and “recognize” — and on [its] elevations are men who recognize all by their mark.

Meaning in context: The heights, and the surah is named after this word. The commentators explain the name in two ways, and the ayah holds both. Raised ground: al-Tabari says araf is the plural of urf, any raised piece of ground. And knowing: al-Suddi says the place is named for its people, who recognise everyone. On al-araf are men who yarifuna, who recognise.

Root: ayn-r-f. Lane gives al-araf as “A wall between Paradise and Hell”, “or the upper parts of the wall”, or a phrase meaning “possessing knowledge of the people of Paradise and of the people of Hell”.

For reflection: They know both groups by their marks. What would the people who know you best say you are known by?

In this surah: Both words again at ayah 48, and urf at ayah 199. At ayah 157 the Prophet “enjoins upon them what is right”, bil-maruf: the makruf of amar makruf nahi mungkar.

Grammar: al-arafi: noun — genitive masculine plural. yarifuna: verb — 3rd person masculine plural, imperfect. The fourth and sixth words of ayah 46.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 70 times in eight derived forms. The noun araf occurs only twice, at ayah 46 and ayah 48, both in this passage. The verb arafa, to know or recognise, occurs 20 times, and maruf 38 times. One more from the same root, later in this surah:

Ayah 199 — “enjoin what is good”.

From the tafsir: The wall of Surah Al-Hadid, ayah 13, and the scholars' views on who the men are.

Yatmauna, ayah 46.

Saheeh International: “they long intensely” — They have not [yet] entered it, but they long intensely.

Meaning in context: They hope, strongly, and they are not in yet. Ibn Kathir reports al-Hasan: “By Allah! Allah did not put this hope in their hearts, except for an honor that He intends to bestow on them.” In Indonesian, tamak means greedy. Indonesian kept the sense Lane puts first; the ayah uses the other one.

Root: t-m-ayn. Lane puts the hard sense first: “He coveted it; i. e. desired it vehemently, eagerly, greedily”. Then he notes that it sometimes means “he hoped for it”.

For reflection: When you ask Allah for something, does it feel more like tamak or more like the hope in this ayah? What is the difference for you?

In this surah: The noun comes at ayah 56, in the next passage: “invoke Him in fear and aspiration”.

Grammar: Verb — 3rd person masculine plural, imperfect. The last word of ayah 46.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 12 times: the verb 8 times and the noun tama 4 times. Most often it is a believer's hope, as in Ibrahim's words:Sometimes it is wanting what one has no claim to, as at Surah Al-Muddaththir, ayah 15 and Surah Al-Ma'arij, ayah 38.

Surah Ash-Shu'ara, ayah 82 — “And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense.”

From the tafsir: Whose hope this is: most early commentators in al-Tabari say the men on the heights; Abu Mijlaz says the people of Paradise.

Afidu, ayah 50.

Saheeh International: “Pour” — Pour upon us some water or from whatever Allah has provided you.

Meaning in context: Pour. The people of the Fire ask for water, or some of what Allah gave the people of Paradise, and are refused. Al-Qurtubi says ifada is giving generously, and that the ayah shows giving water is among the best of deeds. Many of us know the word from Hajj: tawaf ifadah.

Root: f-y-d. Lane: water that “overflowed: poured out, or forth, from fulness”. For the form of this word he gives “He filled a vessel so that it overflowed”.

For reflection: The first thing they ask for is water. When did you last thank Allah for a glass of it?

In this surah: Only here.

Grammar: Verb — 2nd person masculine plural, form IV, imperative. The seventh word of ayah 50.

Elsewhere in the Qur'an: The root occurs 9 times; this form of the verb 7 times. In the Hajj ayat it is the crowd moving on together:At Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 198 it is “when you depart from 'Arafat”.

Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 199 — “Then depart from the place from where [all] the people depart”. Its second word is this ayah's word, letter for letter. That link is our observation.

From the tafsir: Al-Qurtubi on water as charity. Sad's well for his mother is on the hadith page.

More words to notice.

Wa-nada, ayah 44: “Will call out.” The verb nada occurs 44 times: at ayah 43, where the previous passage ended, then in this passage at ayah 44, 46, 48 and 50. The passage is a set of calls.

Iwajan, ayah 45: “Deviant”: a bend. Al-Tabari: with i, a bend in a religion or a road. Lane: “in land, or ground, and in religion”. The noun occurs 9 times.

Al-zalimina, ayah 47: “The wrongdoing”: the du'a ends on the same word as ayah 44. The root z-l-m occurs 315 times. Indonesian zalim.

Bi-simahum, ayah 46, ayah 48: “By their mark.” Lane: “A mark, sign, token, or badge, by which a thing is known”. The corpus lists it under s-w-m; al-Tabari takes it from w-s-m. At Surah Al-Fath, ayah 29: “Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration.”

Bi-rahmatin, ayah 49: “Mercy.” Rahma occurs 114 times. Indonesian rahmat. The next passage has it three times: ayah 52, 56 and 57.

Nansahum, ayah 51: “We will forget them.” All four commentators explain it as leaving them; Ibn Kathir adds that Allah never forgets (Surah Ta-Ha, ayah 52, the same verb). The verb nasiya occurs 35 times.

Part 6 of 7. Questions for discussion, and personal reflection.

These are the questions the halaqa discusses. The first three are the core questions; the rest are optional. Pause after each one and think it through, or talk it over with someone.

Question 1, core, on ayah 46.

The men on the heights in ayah 46 are not in Paradise and not in the Fire. They greet the people of Paradise with salam, and they hope. The word is yatmauna. The scholars hold different views on who these men are, and we do not need to choose one. Many of us know what it is to be in between: not where we should be, and not where we used to be. What does hoping in Allah look like from there?

Question 2, core, on ayah 49.

Ayah 49 asks the people of the Fire: “Are these the ones whom you [inhabitants of Hell] swore that Allah would never offer them mercy?” Al-Qurtubi names poor believers such as Bilal, Salman and Khabbab, people the proud had looked down on. This question is not about anyone's end. It is about how we see people. Have you ever decided someone was too far gone? What changed your mind?

Question 3, core, on ayah 50.

In ayah 50 the people of the Fire ask for water, or anything Allah has provided. Al-Tabari connects their thirst with what they held back from the poor, and al-Qurtubi says the ayah shows that giving water is among the best of deeds. On the hadith page, Sad digs a well for his mother after she dies. Think of something small and basic that someone near you is missing this week. Could you be the one to give it?

Question 4, optional, on ayah 44.

The people of Paradise say: “We have already found what our Lord promised us to be true.” Think of one promise of Allah in the Qur'an that you have already seen come true in your own life.

Question 5, optional, on ayah 47.

When their eyes are turned toward the people of the Fire, the men on the heights make du'a: “Our Lord, do not place us with the wrongdoing people.” Whose company do you ask Allah to keep you in, and why?

Question 6, optional, on ayah 51.

Ayah 51 speaks of those who “took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded.” All four commentators read it as the disbelievers. For us, the same pull can come slowly. What in an ordinary week makes the meeting with Allah feel far away?

Tadabbur — personal reflection.

These are personal applications, written for this session. They are separate from the verse translation and from the tafsir.

Reflection 1. Ayah 47 is a du'a in the Qur'an's own words. Learn it this week, in Arabic or in English, and say it after one prayer each day.

Reflection 2. The men on the heights greet others with salam while they wait. Give salam this week to someone you usually walk past.

Reflection 3. Ayah 51 speaks of forgetting the meeting with Allah. Take one quiet minute this week to think about that meeting.

Reflection 4. Finish this silently: One thing I am still hoping for from Allah is blank. One small thing I can give this week is blank.

Part 7 of 7. Lectures to watch later.

These are talks by other scholars, to watch later if you want to go further. The links are at the foot of the Tafsir page. The descriptions are editorial.

Omar Suleiman: Juz' 8 with Shaykh Ismail Kamdar, Dr. Omar Suleiman, and Shaykh Abdullah Oduro.

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript: from Surah An-Nisa, ayah 48 he goes back over ayat 8 to 9, 38 to 39 and 43, and from Surah At-Tawbah, ayah 16 walks through ayat 46 to 50. He gives one view of the men on the heights, equal good and bad deeds, and says they enter Paradise in the end.

Nouman Ali Khan optional: Amazed by the Quran with Nouman Ali Khan: Allah's Promise is True?

Connection to the verses, editorial reflection: From the transcript, a short talk on ayah 44: “promised us”, but only “what your Lord promised”. He says the ayah is not about Muslims hating others. His tone is casual in places.